Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming so you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can't you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too, oh.

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your loving behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

267 Comments

My InterpretationI think it could possibly be the opposite. I think it's about someone who's so afraid of love that they run all the time and hide from it. To have feeling's for someone has hit them "like a train on a track". They kiss it and flee again because that's how close they're willing to get. Like when there's a room you're afraid to go in or don't know what's in it, you might push the door open and jump back before you look in. Or a kiss is all they're willing to give of themselves as they see loving someone as a weakness and leaves it all behind because they think that's how they'll survive in life. Just a thought.

none of these answers are right. On the radio she explained what the song actually meant. She said, "Before I became a singer me and my friend had to make a living by walking dogs. Until one day I was discovered and I finally made my dream job came true!"
so yea that's what she said her self and i can see how that comes in the song like,

stuck on a train track stuck still no turning back means now that she is famous she just can't quit because she would still have poparazzi with her or when she said

leave your loved ones behind if you want to survive means that you have to leave your love ones at home if you want to become sucsessful

dog days are over dog days are done means that she is glad that she is not doing that job any more

it all makes scence when you think about it

oh i am now learning how to play this song on my guitar cuz now i am chasing my dreams
for when i am a grown-up

I think it has sense the fact that she used to work with the dogs before she became a singer. When I didn't know that reading the lyrics I imagined that the person the happiness came finally to her like the force of the train and once is into her is not turning back. Befooore, she tried to find it, or when she though was closed she scared run away from it, she drunk a lot to avoid the emptiness of her lack of happiness "she sank with her drink".

I think the dogs is the representation of the dependence, and the horse the representation of freedom and courage. So for any reason those days of dependence are over and gone and the horses are coming, one can imagine the impression of the horses running towards oneself soo fast, as the happiness that is coming, the freedom, the change.

Run fast (as the horses related to freedom and courage) for your mother, father, for your children, sisters and brothers (I imagine is the fact that one have to think finally for all the people that one love one have to love his life the same way, because of all that love that we have for those we love (are you following me? hahaha) A big risk and change, and decision on ones life needs to kill the dependence with family, home, nostalgic, friends, lovers.. if one decides something, we have to get involved on the decision we took in a very encourage way to be successful, feeling it from the very strong and independence attitude. The happiness has come so she just have to go straight to it without hesitating for all in her appreciated life.

General CommentThe phrase 'dog days' means a period of madness (originally because when it got too hot in summer all wine and
milk would go bad, dogs and people would go nuts, you get the jist) from my understanding of the lyrics, its
about running from something bad, it sounds to me like a girl with a violent or aggressive partner she loved to
bits, 'she hid around corners and she hid under beds, she killed it wth kisses and from it she fled' i presume the happiness hitting her is the moment she realises she can escape the horrible life she has with this person who she may have been too
frightened to leave before becuase she loved them.... 'Happiness hit her like a bullet in the head...
Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that' running for all the other members of your family is a way of remembering other people love you, being that florence has sang other songs about violent relationships i think this might be right. let me know what you think people iots been bothering me for weeks... btw.. beautiful song!!

So you finally told them about me, eh? And I'll keep bothering you motherfucker because I'm motherfucking iots, and it's what I do, wooooo! (good song, I think it's about depression everybody is too hung up on relationships, except for shoobeedoowop because they can't get laid.)

@moople I think you're right on. I just got out of an abusive relationship and can completely relate to this song and the psychology behind it.

To me, this song is about a woman who finally gets the courage to leave an abusive relationship, but then her abusive partner finds her and kills her. That's why the video's setting is in a heavenly place and happiness is "hitting her like a train on a track" and a "bullet in her back." She finally escaped, she knows he's going to come after her, and if he finds her, he's going to kill her, but she's willing to risk death to escape the abuse.

She left, finally on her way to "happiness," but he found her and was "coming towards her." She knew it was too late to go back to him because of the consequences she would suffer. That's why she was "stuck and there was no turning back."

When she was with him and he'd rage, she'd "hide around corners and under beds." She tried to pacify him with "kisses". She drank to numb the pain (physical and emotional) and cope "with every bubble she sank with a drink." She washed away the blood down the kitchen sink.

The dog days (craziness) was over. He's the "horse" coming after her. I'm not sure what the meaning of the horse is. She "better run" because if he catches her, she knows she's dead.

She left him because she knew her family loved her. She's running to a safe place "run fast for your mother". She ran for her children's sake; so she'd be alive for them. She still loves her abuser due to traumatic bonding, and she's lonely and misses him. She knows she must "leave her love and longing behind if she wants to survive." She knows if she stayed, he'd eventually kill her anyway.

"And I never wanted anything from you except everything you had and what was left after that too." Abusers think that they aren't asking for much, and if the victim would just do what they wanted, they would have a perfect relationship. I heard this statement in my own personal life constantly. No matter what she does, he's never happy; he always expects more. They're never satisfied.

When he finally catches up to her, he shoots her in the back. That's why happiness "hit her like a bullet in the back from a great height (he's taller than her) by someone who should have known better than that."

@moople I think you're right on. I just got out of an abusive relationship and can completely relate to this song and the psychology behind it.

To me, this song is about a woman who finally gets the courage to leave an abusive relationship, but then her abusive partner finds her and kills her. That's why the video's setting is in a heavenly place and happiness is "hitting her like a train on a track" and a "bullet in her back." She finally escaped, she knows he's going to come after her, and if he finds her, he's going to kill her, but she's willing to risk death to escape the abuse.

She left, finally on her way to "happiness," but he found her and was "coming towards her." She knew it was too late to go back to him because of the consequences she would suffer. That's why she was "stuck and there was no turning back."

When she was with him and he'd rage, she'd "hide around corners and under beds." She tried to pacify him with "kisses". She drank to numb the pain (physical and emotional) and cope "with every bubble she sank with a drink." She washed away the blood down the kitchen sink.

The dog days (craziness) was over. He's the "horse" coming after her. I'm not sure what the meaning of the horse is. She "better run" because if he catches her, she knows she's dead.

She left him because she knew her family loved her. She's running to a safe place "run fast for your mother". She ran for her children's sake; so she'd be alive for them. She still loves her abuser due to traumatic bonding, and she's lonely and misses him. She knows she must "leave her love and longing behind if she wants to survive." She knows if she stayed, he'd eventually kill her anyway.

"And I never wanted anything from you except everything you had and what was left after that too." Abusers think that they aren't asking for much, and if the victim would just do what they wanted, they would have a perfect relationship. I heard this statement in my own personal life constantly. No matter what she does, he's never happy; he always expects more. They're never satisfied.

When he finally catches up to her, he shoots her in the back. That's why happiness "hit her like a bullet in the back from a great height (he's taller than her) by someone who should have known better than that."

General CommentI think it's a song about the apocalypse, but in a happy light.

Like, reaching the epiphany that all your problems, struggles, and fears were insignificant and useless. It's not a sad thing, though. It's a relief. None of the problems that you had could ever compare to this, and with everything coming to an end anyway, they don't matter.

With nothing left to lose, your dog days are over. Things can't get worse than this. You're free. And as soon as you realize that, your happiness hits you like a train on the tracks, like a bullet in the back. While other people in the world around you scream, panic, and run to wait for the end in the company of those they care for, you can stand apart to watch them. It's kind of funny, but not in a mocking way. More of an endearing one.

General CommentAlthough I'm positive that most artists have something specific in mind when they write a song, the beauty of the art is that, when done right, the story is phrased in a way to make it accessible to many people. So, I think I have a general idea of the intent of the song, but to me specifically it tells the story of a woman who's in a relationship that she desperately wants to keep but that deep down she knows is doomed for one reason or another, and she willfully ignores that reality. She hides from the truth, she "killed it with kisses" meaning she used affection to overcome her doubts, and doesn't realize that happiness will only come when she's free of the relationship. I think the happiness is her getting dumped. It's unexpected, unpleasant, and unwanted (thus the bullet and train analogies), but in the end it's what's best for her. It's her chance at happiness. As such she needs to run and "leave all [her] love and [her] loving behind]. She'll never stop loving that person, but she needs to leave it in the past or she won't be happy. She won't "survive" the train/bullet (read: breakup) to discover that it was happiness in disguise.

The interesting part is when it switches form third person to first person for that brief verse:

"And I never wanted anything form you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that, too."

Which I think is the guy who dumped her speaking. Haven't we all been in a relationship where the other person seemed to take everything we had and gave nothing back, then acted like we were the one who came up short at the end? This person has been sucking the life out of her and she doesn't know it until she's free of it.

And the bullet striking her "from a great height/by someone who should know better than that" suggests this partner who's breaking her heart was a person who had the same thing done to them. Maybe a warning that if she doesn't do as the narrator advises and run for freedom and leave this hurtful love behind she may visit it upon the next person.

Anyway, that's my specific interpretation after a painful breakup that turned out to be the best thing for me. In a more general sense, the "dog days" of summer is a reference to the hottest days of summer. We generally think of summer as a good thing, but during unusually hot seasons it can be miserable. It can also be devastating to the land. So while we might mourn the end of any summer, the end of a "dogged" summer is a blessing. Wild horses are a common metaphor for freedom. Even domesticated horses, as their domestication gave mankind greater freedom to travel.

I love it because it has so much meaning. Happiness really does hit you like a train after hard times.

"The dogs days" are the horrible things in life that happen and tramatise us, and at some point you have to let go to move on and change your own future. Ie: allow a person to love you and be happy, (life doesn't have to be loveless)

"Run back" run back repair the damage. The future is bright with the horses comming.

This song sums up my whole life and tells me to let go and move on to better and bigger things

General Commentfor me this song is about how real relationships should be and how everyone of us is searching for the so called true love, while happiness isn't like that at all. When she sings: she killed it with kisses and from it shes fled. she means that we kill our happiness with getting into abusive relationships that we think are right for us blinded by the so called love while ignoring the fact that if u really want to survive this life u can't carry any love or longing with u and that u have to run fast for ur father, mother, children and brothers. towards ur family and the things that matter in life not shallow meaningless drama that we create.

My InterpretationHere comes the story from my point of view :
in some languages ,for example spanish a dog day (=dÃ­a de perros) means a bad day, it may refer to the weather or the events in that day, so it might be about a girl who is through a bad period of her life. She might have been unhappy or even depressive during that period. But then , suddenly the truth hits her.(eg. Happiness, hit her like a train on a track)
Saw saw that she had to leave everything she knew / loved behind to start over and be happy . she had to turn into a different person .
(The horses are coming so you better run
Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive)
I believe the lyrics are actually a bit sad , but they give you the power to go on and they encourage you to make a change in your life.
Ps. I think Florence and the Machine is an great band , theyÂ´re pure art.
Soetmelodie

General CommentAs far as interpretation goes, I can't help but agree with kokostar.

"Leave all your longing and loving behind, You can't carry it with you if you want to survive."

It almost sounds to me like the speaker in the song is telling us how much ov an inconvenience love is in general, and how (rationally speaking) we'd be better off without it considering the pain that it can bring. Furthermore, happiness isn't usually compared to a "bullet in the head" which leads me to believe that the song is about running away from happiness that can so easily be taken away.

I also think that things seem too good to be true (to the speaker in the song), and so the solution is to run away. In running away while "the dog days are over" and happiness has struck, that happiness will be preserved; the speaker isn't there to witness things go bad. So the speaker "run[s] fast" for all her loved ones.